Freedom…

As a country we celebrated Independence Day.  I think the day has lost some of its meaning to a good portion of our population.  There is a large percentage of our country that doesn’t believe in what I country stands for and has forgotten how it was formed.  Instead, it’s a day of parties, BBQ, and fireworks.

Our country was founded for two main reasons.  Escape from a tyrannical government, and to have true freedom of religion.  The first one is easy to see.  England was taxing everything and controlling people’s everyday lives with laws and regulations.  The people wanted to be free of those things and chose to start over in a new land.  The freedom of religion was also a big deal.  Back in those days, the Church of England was the only church you could attend. 

Imagine living in a world where there was only one church and you had to attend by the mandate of the government….  There are countries out there with similar situations still to this day, but it is hard for us to truly grasp that concept. 

The founders of our country formed it as a country for imperfect humans.  The Bill of Rights lays out the basic human rights that are endowed to everyone by our creator.  They were people of faith, and they were religiously diverse even back in those days.  The Constitution puts limits on the power of government to keep one man or group from having too much power because we all know what happens when that happens. 

We are blessed to have freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, freedom of religion, limit the power of government, and even allows the people to revolt against the government in the case of long-term abuse with no other option to fix it. 

Our founding fathers were very smart men, and it is amazing that 250 years later we still look at their work and it is still applicable today. 

The central theme of the beginning of our country was Freedom.  We should fully embrace that these days.  Just remember that freedom comes with responsibility, and that responsibility can make or break us.

This week, look at your life and see if you are truly living in freedom, or is something holding you in bondage?  It could be a habit, fear, a job, etc.  There are tons of things that can and will hold us back if we choose not to live in the freedom we love in the good ol’ USA.

Merica!

Galatians 5:13 (NLT)

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.